UMES Advances Towards Historic Milestone: Opening First Veterinary School at a Public HBCU

Letter of Reasonable Assurance Clears the Way for Maryland’s First In-State Veterinary School to Begin Recruiting and Admitting Its Inaugural Class In 2027

PRINCE ANNE, MD, UNITED STATES, October 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) School of Veterinary Medicine has received a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE), marking a major step toward welcoming its inaugural Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) class in summer 2027.

The AVMA Council on Education’s action permits UMES to begin recruiting applicants and admitting students. Applications are not yet open, but the university will announce application dates, deadlines and submission instructions soon. UMES’ veterinary program will be the first to be physically located in Maryland and the first veterinary school at a public historically Black college or university (HBCU).

“The Letter of Reasonable Assurance allows UMES to move forward with recruiting and admitting our inaugural veterinary school class,” said Dr. Stanley Robertson, dean of the UMES School of Veterinary Medicine. “Our rigorous, year-round three-year program will combine early hands-on learning with clinical experience in the communities and practice settings where veterinarians are needed. By drawing on the Eastern Shore’s agricultural setting and a network of clinical partners, we intend to graduate confident, practice-ready veterinarians sooner and strengthen the workforce serving animal health, agriculture and public health in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region.”

Reasonable Assurance is granted to a developing veterinary medical education program that does not yet enroll students but has demonstrated an acceptable prospect of achieving full accreditation. It does not confer accreditation. After students enroll, the program will continue through the COE’s prescribed accreditation process as the inaugural class progresses through the program.

In granting the Letter of Reasonable Assurance, the AVMA affirmed the strength of UMES’ plans for establishing the veterinary school, concluding that, “if implemented as proposed,” the program could be expected to meet accreditation standards during the provisional accreditation period.

The decision follows a comprehensive COE site visit conducted in June. During the visit, the evaluation team reviewed the school’s planning and readiness across the COE’s 11 accreditation standards, including organization, finances, facilities, clinical resources, curriculum, faculty, students, research and program assessment.

“This affirmation by the accrediting agency positions UMES to meet the nation’s growing need for veterinarians,” said UMES President Heidi M. Anderson. “It gives Marylanders who aspire to become vets the opportunity to train and remain in state, and it creates a durable new source of revenue for the university at a time when the economics of higher education are shifting.”

UMES has developed a rigorous, year-round DVM curriculum that students will complete in three years, rather than the standard four years. The program will integrate case-based instruction, simulation, clinical-skills training and supervised experiences across university-operated and affiliated clinical sites. Its semi-distributed clinical model is designed to expose students to varied species, practice settings, communities and career pathways while maintaining faculty oversight and consistent academic and clinical standards across all training sites.

The school will prepare veterinarians to serve needs across companion-animal care, agriculture, public health, research and other areas of veterinary medicine.

Prospective applicants should monitor the School of Veterinary Medicine website for the official application opening date and instructions. The inaugural class is planned to begin in summer 2027.

Information about prerequisite courses, admissions requirements, and the proposed selection process is available on the admissions section of the UMES School of Veterinary Medicine website. Program updates are also available through the School of Veterinary Medicine’s LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram channels.

About the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Ranked as the sixth highest among public Historically Black Colleges & Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report data, and #13 among all HBCUs, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore provides affordable access to higher education while developing innovative technology and research in key fields such as agriculture, science, pharmacy, and engineering. UMES offers 10 post-baccalaureate and upper division certificates; 41 bachelor’s degree programs; 19 master’s degree programs; six Ph.D. Programs; and four professional doctorate programs.

Application information: https://www.umes.edu/svm/how-to-apply/

Rudy Williams
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
+1 757-894-4242
Rwilliams6@umes.edu